


girls like girls

by missmarvellous



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, more additional tags coming, vld wlw month prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-09 16:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 11,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11673318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmarvellous/pseuds/missmarvellous
Summary: Prompts for VLD WLW Month // Day 26: Superhero AU // Pidge had a problem, and it was the new superhero rookie named Unilu.





	1. flowers in your hair and stars in your eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: Flowers - Allura wants to know why everyone is acting so weird about the flower crowns she and Shay have made for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> august is finally here, whoop! can't wait to see all the content for vld wlw month!
> 
> not my best work, i'll admit i had a tough time with this prompt, but i like this hc i've had for shayllura, so i wanted to write something for them :) besides, i've been working on my fics/drabbles for some of the other prompts, and i'm super excited for you guys to see them!
> 
> anyways, enjoy!

Without  a doubt, Allura’s visits to the Balmera was her favorite part of the month.

Waiting for the days to pass by so she could go see her girlfriend wasn't that hard. Sure, it made her wish that time could speed up just a little bit, but it was nothing compared to when she was actually on her way to see Shay. When Allura was in the little pod speeding down to the surface of the Balmera, the seconds seemed to stretch into hours and she itched to open those doors herself when she knew Shay was waiting on the other side.

Finally, the pod lands on the ground and the doors open. Allura steps out, taking in the sight of the Balmera and grins to herself.

“Allura!” Shay calls out. She is in her simple Balmera wear as usual, but Allura still feels like her breath is taken away every time.

She smiles excitedly and runs to Shay, who catches her in her sturdy arms while laughing.

“I’ve missed you so much.” murmurs Allura, pressing a kiss to the corner of Shay’s mouth.

“You just saw me last week.” Shay reminds her, but a smile is gracing her face nonetheless. She loves that smile.

“And how long ago that was.” says Allura with a dramatic sigh. “Where are we going today, Shay?”

Shay’s face lights up immediately, and she takes Allura’s hand in her own, their fingers interlocking together like puzzle pieces. “It’s a surprise. But you’ll like it.” she promises. “Close your eyes.”

Allura shuts her eyes and gives Shay’s hand a little squeeze. “Lead the way, love.”

-o-O-o-

“Can I open my eyes now?” asks Allura, eyelids still shut together.

“We’re almost there.” Shay says. “Okay, now you can open them.”

She opens her eyes and is immediately greeted with a bright onslaught of color. Allura gasps and bends down to the inspect the flowers that are carpeting the rocky Balmera surface in shades of pink, yellow, and blue. They seem to be extending for miles on end. “They’re beautiful!” exclaims Allura.

“Not as beautiful as you.” says Shay shyly, and when Allura looks up, her cheeks look a little pink.

“Oh, Shay!” Allura stands up to wrap her arms around her.

Shay grins and tugs on Allura’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go further in. I have something set up for us.”

Allura follows Shay into the flower field, heart feeling lighter than it has in a long time.

-o-O-o-

“Ta da!” says Shay, extending her arms to present the quaint little picnic that she has set up in the middle of the field. “What do you think?”

There is a little sparkle in Shay's eyes that Allura would like to keep close to her heart forever. Allura thinks she has the best girlfriend in the entire universe.

She clasps her hands together and beams. “I think it’s perfect, Shay.”

The two of them settle onto the checkered blanket - courtesy of Lance, Shay tells her - and Shay brings out the food from the basket.

“No bug stew in here.” says Shay, laughing a little when she sees the way Allura’s nose scrunches up a little. “Honestly, Lu, I don’t see why you think it’s bad.”

“It’s not bad,” corrects Allura. “It’s terrible.”

Shay grins, and a light bulb seems to go off in her head.

“Oh! I have an idea. Wait here.” she tells Allura, before standing up and walking farther out into the fields, but not too far that she’s not in her line of sight.

Allura shrugs and picks up what she assumes is a sandwich and starts eating it. Shay comes back a few moments later, arms full of pink and yellow flowers that she sets down gently on to the blanket.

“What are those for?” asks Allura, to which Shay just winks at.

“You’ll see.”

Allura’s lips quirk up into an amused grin. Shay picks up a yellow flower and loops the stem around the stem of another pink flower, as if she were tying a knot. She keeps on doing this with the other flowers, occasionally adding in some leaves and greenery, until the end product is a crown, thick with flowers and bursting with color.

Shay pats the ground next to her, and Allura scooches over to her side. She places the crown on top of her white tresses and plants a small kiss on her forehead.

“There. A crown for a beautiful girl.” she says, and Allura feels like her heart is about to burst.

She stands up and drags Shay up with her, laughing all the while.

“I feel like a princess!” exclaims Allura, twirling a little.

Shay giggles. “You are a princess, Lu.”

She turns to look at Shay, a grin adorning her lips. “Hold on. I’m going to make you one too.”

Allura must have been imagining things because for a second, Shay looks doubtful. “Oh, you really don’t have to-” Shay starts, but Allura cuts her off with a quick tut.

“Nonsense! We can be princesses together!” says Allura, bouncing slightly on her feet.

Before Shay can disapprove, Allura kneels down and quickly starts plucking blue and yellow flowers to complement the pink and yellow crown on her head. Though her fingers are not as nimble and graceful as Shay’s, she manages to complete a flower crown for Shay by the time the sun is going down. It’s the tiniest bit sloppy, if Allura is being honest with herself, but she is feeling a tad bit proud when she puts the crown on Shay’s head.

“Look at that!” says Allura. “We’re matching!”

The look of doubt on Shay’s face begins to melt into a small smile. “So we are.” she says softly.

They walk back to the settlement hand in hand.

-o-O-o-

Allura can tell something is wrong when they walk into the settlement.

Whispers and pointing fingers had sprung up almost immediately the second they strolled in. She doesn’t think it’s the hand holding - Allura and Shay have a been a thing for almost three months now, everybody knows they’re a couple.

She asks Shay what’s wrong, but Shay avoids her glance and points to where her grandmother is waving from her porch. “I think Grandmother made dinner tonight! Let’s go!”

Allura purses her lip because she hates not knowing something, but follows Shay into the house without another word.

Grandmother opens the door and gasps slightly. “Your hair-”

Shay makes a little sound, probably out of distress, a sound that Grandmother ignores.

She hobbles to the side to allow the two of them to come in.

Grandmother beckons Allura closer with her hands. “Come here, child, come closer.”

“Grandmother, I really don't think that's necessary -”

Allura comes a little bit closer to the older lady, who bends down her head and then makes a noise of what Allura would assume is giddiness.

“I’m so happy for you two!” she croons, her hand coming up to cup Allura’s cheeks.

“Thanks?” says Allura, unsure of what exactly is the happy occasion.

“Grandmother!” hisses Shay.

Grandmother frowns and looks at Shay. “But the fl-”

Shay clears her throat. An understanding seems to pass between the two of them, and Grandmother nods to herself, smiling slightly.

“Why don’t you get Allura settled in for dinner?” suggests Shay. “I’m going to go wash up.”

“Shay, wait-”

But before Allura can ask why everyone is acting so strangely, Shay darts into  the other room and effectively avoids her questions.

Allura sighs and turns to face Grandmother. “I don’t suppose you could tell me why everyone’s been acting so weird about my hair?”

She simply smiles and takes Allura by the arm, leading her into the cooking space. “Come along now, dear. You can help me finish up this stew.”   

-o-O-o-

Dinner is pretty good.

There is no bug stew, and Allura silently thanks the heavens for that. Grandmother keeps on looking at the two of them, smiling to herself all the while. With the fire crackling the middle of the three of them, the space feels homey and cozy. _This is nice_ , Allura thinks as she finishes her last spoonful of stew.

Later, when they’re back in their room and both getting ready for bed, Allura finally decides to ask the question that's been bothering her ever since they came back to the settlement.

“Shay,” begins Allura. “Is there something wrong with the flower crowns we made each other?”

Shay whips her head to look at Allura so fast she gets whiplash. “What? No, no of course not.”

Allura lifts the crown off her head and looks at it. The colors have faded a little, but they're still vibrant and beautiful. “Then why did everyone stare at them and whisper about it? Why won't you answer my questions about it?”

Shay sighs, a sound that is deep and heavy. “I'm sorry that I haven't been answering your questions.” she says. “I didn't mean to make you feel bad about the flower crowns.

Allura takes a seat next to Shay on the bed and holds her hand, giving it a little squeeze. “Shay, you didn't make me feel bad.” she promises. “I just want to know what the big deal is about flower crowns.”

She is silent for a while. Allura drops her head on her shoulder, feeling more at home in the crook of her neck. “You can tell me, Shay.”

She sighs again, as if accepting the fact that she can't run from this question anymore. “Flower crowns are a big deal on the Balmera.” she begins, voice soft and small. “Flowers are rare on a Balmera. It's rocky surface can't sustain life very well, so barely any flowers survive. But the ones that do - well, you saw how beautiful they were.”

“They were exquisite.” Allura mumbles, and Shay nods along.

“And the flowers are so beautiful and rare that nobody wants to pick them.” continues Shay. “Unless they're for a very special occasion.”

Allura tilts her head up so she can see Shay's face. She is holding her breath, suddenly eagerly awaiting her response. “And what would that special occasion be?”

Shay is silent again, as if gathering her nerves for the oncoming answer. Her face is carefully blank, and Allura suddenly misses the tiny sparkle that was in her eyes earlier in the day.

“One would pick flowers from the Balmera's surface to make a crown for - for the one person they loved so deeply that they would give up everything for them, that they couldn't imagine life without them.” The last words come out so quietly, Allura has to replay them in her head to fully process what Shay has said. When she does, her breath hitches.

“That's why everyone was looking at you.” says Shay, and she almost sounds miserable. “Flower crowns are given to very special people. It doesn't happen very much.”

Allura takes her head off from where it was resting on Shay's shoulder. “Shay -”

“I'm sorry, Allura. I should have told you the significance of flower crowns earlier.”

“Yes, you should have.” says Allura. “Then I would have made you more flower crowns, had I known their significance. Two more at most.”

It's Shay's turn to look confused. “Allura-”

“Three conditions for flower crowns, right?” she interrupts. “One, it has to be for the person you love dearly. Check.”

Shay stared at her, her face turning a deep red. “What -”

“Two,” she continues. “It has to be for someone you would give up everything for. I would gladly do that for you, Shay.”

Shay splutters. “I -”

“Three,” she lists, looking Shay dead in the eye. “It has to be someone you couldn't imagine life without.”

Allura cups Shay's face in her hands and brings her close so that their foreheads are touching. “And I can't imagine my life without you in it, Shay.” whispers Allura, running her thumb over the planes of Shay's face.

Shay looks absolutely stunned. Then the most unexpected thing happens - she bursts out laughing.

Allura is startled, but she can't help but giggle along with her. “What is it?” she asks. “What did I say that was so funny?”

Their foreheads are still touching and Allura feels like she can stare into the honey brown of Shay's eyes forever.

“It was just,” says Shay, a bit breathless from her previous laughter. “I really really really like you, Allura.”

Allura grins, feeling as if she is as weightless as a balloon. “I really really really like you too, Shay.”

She learns forward and presses a gentle kiss against her lips. It's short and it's sweet, and for a moment, it's just the two of them.

They turn in a little later, the flower crowns they had made carefully placed on top of the drawer and their sweet scent lulling them to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really love reviews, even if it's a smiley face! you will make my day if you send me a review! constructive criticism is greatly appreciated too!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @kwanteeco or my writing side blog (where this will be posted!) @thebluepaladln!


	2. of first dates and peanut butter cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - First Date: Pidge comes to Nyma, asking for advice for her first date with Luki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a lot of fun with this one. nyma and pidge friendship is something that i never knew i needed.
> 
> p.s, the luki that i'm referring to in this chapter is unilu girl from space mall. i believe the mods for @vld-wlw-month are calling her shila, so just know that luki and shila are the same person!
> 
> anyways, enjoy!

Nyma is by no means supposed to be a role model. She knows she's not the exemplary human being that people should be looking up to, and she's cool with that. She steals, she lies, she manipulates. It's for their own benefit; she's shit at setting an example.

So it's kind of troubling when Pidge comes to her for advice.

"Not really advice," says Pidge, pushing her glasses up her nose with one finger. "More like ideas on what to do."

"So basically advice." Nyma drawls.

Pidge gives her an impish grin. "Will you help me?"

Nyma doesn't even give it a second thought. "Not a chance, kid."

"Oh come on, Nyma!"

"Beat it, kid." says Nyma, not even bothering to give her a glance.

"I thought you were supposed to be an expert on this sort of stuff!" Pidge bursts out.

This piques Nyma's interest. She looks at her, eyebrow raised. "What makes you say I'm an expert?"

Pidge gestures vaguely with her hands, like that explains everything.

"You're going to have to be more specific."

Pidge lets out a frustrated groan. "You're always flirting with girls. You know what they like. I bet all of your first dates went great."

Nyma leans down from her seat so she's level with Pidge who is sitting criss cross applesauce on the ground. "Hey, kid, you wanna know a secret?"

She shrugs.

"Just because I have a girlfriend," says Nyma, "doesn't mean I know how I got one."

She learns back into her chair, grinning smugly while Pidge rolls her eyes.

"Look kid, I don't know why you can't bug Allura or Shay, or hell, even Lance, with your first date with Suki-"

"Luki." corrects Pidge.

Nyma waves her hand. "Luki. The point is, I'm not really the girl you'd come to for ideas on what to do for a first date with a girl you like."

"But you are." insists Pidge. "You wanna know why I came to you? It's because you remind me of Luki the most. You would know what she would like to do on a first date.'

Nyma simply scoffs. "That girl must be trouble if she reminds you of me."

"She is." says Pidge, lips curling up in a small smile. "But that's beside the point. Will you help me?"

A small twinge of regret springs up in Nyma's chest when she sees the hopeful glint in Pidge's eyes. "Fine." she says with a sigh. "But you owe me."

-o-O-o-

When Rolo and Nyma and the rest of the rebel alliance had teamed up with Team Voltron and started to occupy their same castle, Nyma imagined that they would constantly be plotting, planning, and fighting while living in mutual distrust of each other. It never occurred to her that she would be sprawled out on the floor of the communal area, helping fifteen year old girls plan their first date with a mall kiosk girl.

Pidge is currently munching on something that are called 'peanut butter cookies' - something Pidge claims to be the best thing to have ever been invented on Earth. Nyma doubts it, but she doesn't tell Pidge that. Instead, she scrawls out 'PIDGE'S FIRST DATE' on top of the paper between the two of them.

She finishes dotting the e and looks to Pidge. "Look good?"

Pidge gives her a look. "I have no idea what that says."

"Ah right, you're an alien. Forgot about that." Nyma clicks her tongue. "Don't worry, I'll translate."

Pidge mutters something under her breath that suspiciously sounds like, 'You're the alien.' but Nyma doesn't push.

"Okay, you got any ideas, squirt?"

Pidge shrugs and chomps on another cookie, crumbs coating on her chin. "I didn't have much. Maybe something to do with the space mall?"

"Absolutely not!"exclaims Nyma, slamming her hand down on the floor and startling Pidge. "That is a terrible idea!"

"May I ask why?"

"You said you were going with Luki? Girl who scowls all the time when you mention the kiosk? Yeah, she hates her job. She's not gonna want to go back to the mall for a date." states Nyma.

Pidge's look of shock melts into one of smugness. "I told you that you could help me. Now I won't be taking Luki to the worst date place, thanks to your sage wisdom."

"The worst date place is actually the trenches of the Skivilkian swamps." Nyma informs her. "But yes, I suppose I am good at this."

Pidge props her chin on her knuckles and looks at her with rapt attention. "So if not the mall, where would be the perfect date place?"

Nyma thinks about the question. What would be the perfect date place? Pidge had said that Luki reminded her of Nyma, so she tried imagining herself. "Do you and Luki still like video games?"

She lifts her head and beams. "Oh yeah! She and I have been trying to defeat each other's high score in Mercu-"

"And as interesting as that sounds," interrupts Nyma, "I think I just figured out what your perfect date place is."

This breaks Pidge from her ramble. "What is it?" she demands.

Nyma grins and writes down something on the paper, before tearing a portion and handing it to Pidge.

Pidge stares at the slip of paper. "I haven't learned to read alien in the last five minutes that we've been here."

Nyma huffs. "Oh, just give that to me. It says the arcade!"

Pidge frowns. "The arcade?"

"The arcade! There's one in the Levantan Galaxy that has the best simulators and games, plus an excellent food place next door." Nyma sits up, the satisfaction of a job well done welling in her stomach. "You're welcome, kid."

"The arcade." Pidge considers it and grins. "That does sound pretty neat. I think Luki will likely that."

"Oh, she'll love it." says Nyma. "Trust me."

Pidge bites into her last cookie, a loud crunch echoing around the room. "So, is that it?"

Nyma gives Pidge a once over, from her hair that's a mess of knots and curls and her creased clothing. "Not quite yet, kid.

-o-O-o-

If anyone had asked Nyma why she had volunteered to help Pidge get ready in appearances for her first date, she would have denied that she had any such thing. But really? Nyma had seen the spark in Pidge's eyes when they were planning the itinerary for the date. It had reminded her of how Pidge, brave paladin and defender of the universe, was so young and how Nyma's own youth was destroyed by Zarkon's raging war. She didn't want it to claim another innocent childhood, not when she could do something about it.

"I don't want to look too glammed up." rambles Pidge in the chair she's sitting in. "But maybe a little glam would be nice. But not too much. It maybe I should have the full glam. Nyma, is there even a thing called the full glam?"

An easy laugh escapes from Nyma, surprising her. She quickly covers it up with a quick cough and turns her back on Pidge, pretending to look through the drawer for something.

"Quit rambling, kid." she calls out.

Pidge takes in a deep breath, hopefully calming her frazzled nerves. "Sorry." she says. "It's just that I really want this night to go well. I really do like Luki."

Nyma twists her head to look at Pidge. Right now, she looks small and vulnerable, curled up in that chair. "Hey," she says in the calmest voice she can muster. "Luki really likes you too. That's why she's going on a date with you tonight. And I don't think she'll care about how much glam you are sporting tonight, because she likes you."

Pidge offers her a small smile. "You give a surprisingly good pep talk, Nyma."

"I do give good pep talks." Nyma agrees.

A small silence stretches between the two of them. Pidge offers her a tiny smile. ". . . So, only a little glam?"

She shakes her head to herself. "Sure. A little glam."

-o-O-o-

Nyma has to admit, she does a good makeover.

Pidge's hair has been smoothed down a little with a little cute headband Nyma had found in the back of her drawer. She's wearing a sparkling flowy shirt with some shorts. Nyma pops Pidge's glasses on her face, rubbing the lenses a little with a cloth.

Pidge flashes her a small smile. "So, how do I look?"

Nyma winks at her. "Go get 'em, tiger."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews always make my day, even if they're a smiley face! constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @kwanteeco or my writing sideblog (where this will be posted) @thebluepaladln
> 
> see you tomorrow!


	3. as long as i'm by your side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Adventure - Allura is feeling a bit down now that her adventures with Voltron is over. Good thing Nyma offers to take her on a new one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 3!
> 
> man, i had so much fun writing this. it kind of deviates a little from the prompt, but not really? oh well.
> 
> also, i'm posting another story today, it's gen and it's about space fam bonding post s2 and it's really fluffy. i worked really hard on it and would honestly die of happiness if you could check it out and maybe leave me a review!
> 
> this is definitely one of my favorites, and i hope it is yours too! anyways, enjoy!

All adventures eventually come to an end.

Allura knew this when she started out on her quest to free the universe from Zarkon's reign. She knew there would come a time when she would be forced to say goodbye to all the people she had met over the years, the friends she had made.

The paladins been eager to return back to their home planet of Earth. Nobody had been eager to say their friends. There were many tears shed, many hugs that squeezed the breath out of her. With one last tearful gaze, the paladins had went through the portal, their promises of coming back to visit still lingering in the air.

Allura doubted that that day would be very soon, but mentally she started a count for how many days she would have to wait.

Coran had swept her off into some official business once the paladins had left, probably to get her mind of their departure. She was grateful for the distraction, and at the end, she had wandered down into the hallways where the living quarters were. It was too early to feel this nostalgic, Allura mused to her self, but she was already missing the constant laughter and boisterousness that would fill these halls.

Scuffling noises had broken her out out of her reminiscing, and Allura went over to the room it was coming from, curious about their origins. She peeks into the room and spots Nyma, hunched over something.

Nyma. The very word makes her either want to smile at herself or bash her head into the wall.

Right now, she feels very smiley. At least she has one more friend to stay with.

"Nyma!" Allura walks in, feeling lighter already. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Nyma startles and drops whatever she's been holding. Hurriedly, she bends down and picks it up, and her face is flushed when she looks back up at Allura again. "Oh, hey, Allura."

What she sees next brings her down from the clouds. There is a bag on the bed, clothes and other objects strewn around it "You're packing."

Nyma looks guilty but she doesn't deny it. Allura suddenly feels so very drained. "You're leaving?"

Nyma sighs, shoulder drooping. "Yeah, I am."

"But why?" Allura can't help but wince at the sharpness of her tone, how it seems to pin down Nyma with conviction.

"There's nothing really here for me." says Nyma, shrugging a bit. "Helping out Team Voltron was my mission for a while, but now that that's gone, I need a new mission."

"Oh." is all Allura says, voice impossibly small, because she gets it, she really does. But how could she let Nyma go too, when Nyma makes her heart beat like a night bug with one wing and dream of a future that includes the both of them?

"You know," starts Nyma, her voice unsure and shaky. "You could come with me."

It takes a second for Allura to process her words. "Come with you?"

Nyma bites her lip and nods her head. "Yeah, come with me. I'm going to be heading around the galaxy. I've always wanted to see the Marwakka Constellation in person."

She's come closer to Allura while she's been speaking, and her hands find Allura's and bridges the gap between the two of them.

"It would be even better if you were there with me." says Nyma in the softest voice that makes Allura's heart thump like crazy.

Allura wants to say yes. She just wants to be with Nyma. And as much as she wants to say yes, she knows she can't.

"I'm sorry, Nyma." says Allura. "I have responsibilities here."

Nyma stares at her a little bit before sighing and shaking her head and dropping her hands from Allura's. She misses the warmth of them immediately.

"Right. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." says Nyma, turning back to her bag in a way that indicates that this conversation is over.

And somehow, that hurts even more than anything.

-o-O-o-

The ship is just revving up, it's electric buzz unable to drown out how loud Allura's heart is beating in her throat.

"Nyma, wait!" she yells, waving her hand as she runs up to the ship.

Nyma squints from her place in the pilot seat. "Allura?"

She finally comes up next to ship, panting for breath. When she finally catches it, she stands up straight to look Nyma in the eye.

"I want to see the Marwakka constellation with you."

Nyma eyes go wide. "What-"

Allura clambers on into the ship and sits down in the passenger seat. She faces Nyma, who still looks shocked, and takes her hands into her own. "I want to see the Marwakka constellation with you, and all the other constellations that come after that. I just want to be with you."

Allura doesn't think it's possible for Nyma's eyes to go and wider but they do. "But what about your responsibilities?"

She grins at her. "It's time that the people get a democracy for once instead of another monarch who'll take the place of their previous dictator, don't you think? Of course, I'll have to monitor the whole process through video, but it shouldn't interfere with our travels."

"Our travels." Nyma whispers to herself, looking like she's in a daze.

Allura squeezes her hands, feeling like she can take on the whole world right now. As long as she has Nyma with her.

"I really want to kiss you right now." says Nyma. "Is that possible?"

She fights down the giddiness that swells up in her chest and instead of answering with an over enthusiastic 'PLEASE DO!' like her head is telling her to do, she musters up a facade of nonchalance. "I don't see why not."

Nyma smiles, so unusual form her catlike grins yet so perfectly her, and presses a gentle kiss to Allura's lips.

When they break away, Allura feels dazed, but in the good way. Nyma is still smiling. "The princess and the rebel, huh? Who would have ever thought?"

Allura shoves her shoulder slightly, and God, she cannot stop grinning right now. "Let's go on our new adventure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who's ready for voltron s3 tomorrow (or tonight for those of you who plan to binge watch)? i'm literally so excited, but i don't have netflix, so i have to wait for the episodes to get posted online. if you guys know any place where i can watch all the episodes for free, can you please drop the name in a review or pm? that would really make me happy :D no spoilers though!
> 
> this sounds desperate, but i love it when people give me reviews and comments! even if it's a smiley face! constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me about nyallura and s3 on tumblr at my main @kwanteeco or my writing sideblog (where this will be posted!) @thebluepaladln!


	4. crystal clear waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Discovery - Nyma discovers mermaids and proceeds to flirt with one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day four!
> 
> another fun one! a little bit shorter than the others, but hopefully the quality will make up for the quantity.
> 
> anyways, enjoy!

"Augh!" screams Nyma, kicking the side of her ship as she does so.

"Calm down, Nyma." says Rolo, who's perched on top of the ship, chin resting on hand. "Screaming and kicking won't do anything."

"Well, it's better than doing nothing!" she retorts, kicking the side again for good measure. "Ever since that damn red kid took us out, this stupid hunk of junk keeps on spluttering out. And now, we get landed on a planet filled with water."

At the last statement, Nyma drops to the ground, which, she supposes, is a bit dramatic, but she's really frustrated, okay?

"Well, at least the view's okay." comments Rolo. He still manages to be easy going even in crisis, which Nyma can't tell is helpful or annoying.

"Whatever." she mutters. The view is pretty splendid, with the the light of the three suns ahead reflecting on the crystal blue waters, but she won't tell Rolo that.

Nyma scooches to the edge of the ship and dangles her legs in the water. That's when something brushes up against her legs.

"Ugh!" She withdraws her legs from the water and scans it's depths for any sign of life.

"Oh, Nyma, would you just stop complaining already?"

"I'm not complaining." snaps Nyma. "There's something in the water."

She can't see Rolo's face right now, but she imagines him rolling his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Nyma sighs in frustration. "I'm serious, Rolo. I don't trust these wate- augh!"

That's when the mermaid head pops through the surface.

Nyma scrambles backwards, shrieking and falling on her back. She hears Rolo give a startled yelp as well, the electric hum in the air as he draws his weapon.

The mermaid takes in a strangled breath of air, grinning as she does so. Then, she seems to notice Rolo's blaster pointed at her and gasps.

"Woah, woah!" says the mermaid, arms held in front of her in a placating gesture. "I'm not gonna harm you!"

Nyma gets back onto her feet and takes out her own blaster. "What are you?" she demands.

The mermaid inches a little back, eyes flickering between the two of them nervously. "My name is Plaxum." she starts. "Our people have been submerged in the oceans for almost a decade; we've been forced to adapt to the under waters when the surface froze over and encased us in. Recently, the ice broke up and I and a couple others were sent to scout ahead to see what remains of the land. We're just exploring."

"I think she's telling the truth." says Rolo.

Nyma eyes the mermaid - Plaxum - with one last hint of suspicion, but she sighs and lowers the blaster. As irritating as Rolo can be sometimes, she's come to realize his judgement on others is pretty good.

Plaxum sighs in relief and tosses one of her head thingies behind her shoulders. "Well, I'm glad we got that settled."

She swims a little closer to their ship and stops within five feet of Nyma. " Wow," gasps Plaxum, "You're a beautiful being."

She's taken aback for a second, before she sends Plaxum a catlike grin, winking as she does so. "You're not that bad looking either."

Plaxum blushes, and Rolo coughs. "Hey, do you have any spare parts that you could give up?. We really need to fix this ship up and get going."

"Oh, what's the rush, Rolo?" interrupts Nyma. "We could wait a couple days."

"You were literally whining five minutes ago." deadpans Rolo.

She turns back to Plaxum, who still has a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. "Well, that was before we made a pretty cool discovery."

"Actually, it was me who made the discovery." Plaxum points at herself, grinning. "But I can let it pass for someone as pretty as you."

Rolo groans from behind her, but that doesn't stop Nyma from biting her lower lip and smiling at the mermaid.

This was going to be a fun couple of days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU GUYS SEE SEASON THREE?!?!?!? HOLY SHIT I WAS SO !!!!
> 
> reviews honestly make my whole day, even if it's a smiley face! constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me about voltron on tumblr at my main @kwanteeco or my writing side blog (where this will be posted as well!) @thebluepaladln!


	5. brighter than the stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Stars - Allura and Nyma go visit the Marwakka constellation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the late update, i was so busy that i really haven't been able to write much.
> 
> this one is really short, but school is coming up and i have to prepare for that, so sorry about the chapter length. it's quite fluffy though, so i hope you like that!

They arrive at the planet of X'halvia around late afternoon.

"Apparently, this is the best spot to view the Marwakka constellation." says Nyma, her face glowing under the last rays of the two suns above. "It's going to be stunning."

Allura squeezes her hand with a grin. "I can't wait to see it."

Nyma parks their little ship next to an inn, where they check in with a three headed alien for their room.

"Get some rest." says Nyma. "You're probably tired, and the constellation won't really be visible until late night."

Allura wakes up hours later, feeling groggy and sleepy, but all that washes away when she sees the excited look on Nyma's face.

 _You're radiant._ She thinks to herself as Nyma pulls her down the set of stairs and into the little ship.

"The tavern owner said that there is a field where we can go see it." says Nyma.

They go to the field, and Nyma practically leaps out of the ship, Allura giggling at her antics.

She jogs over to where Nyma has gone to the middle of the field, arms spread out wide and face tilted towards the heavens. Allura laughs out loud.

"One might think you like the stars more than me." teases Allura, voice light.

Nyma sighs dreamily. "Look, it's the Marwakka constellation. Isn't it beautiful?"

She's pointing at the sky above, but Allura is looking at her, the way her face is shining under moonlight and that little glimmer in her violet eyes.

"Yeah," says Allura, grinning a little. "It is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews honestly make my whole day, even if it's a smiley face! constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me about voltron on tumblr at my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog (where this will be posted as well!) @thebluepaladln!


	6. sweeter than sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Baking - Allura makes Shay some cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day six!
> 
> super short drabble-y thingy, but i have so much to do and so little time to do it all ;_; anyways, enjoy!

If there was one thing that Shay had learned in the past couple of hours, it was that Allura certainly didn't need to learn anything about baking. At least from her.

"I don't get it." says Shay, lifting up a macaroon from Allura's fresh batch. "You've been taking secret lessons from Hunk, right? There's no way that these came out so good on your first try at baking."

Currently, they're in the castle kitchen, with Shay sitting at the table, Allura standing behind her, plate full of macaroons in front of them. She had been trying to give Allura baking lessons after she had heard that Allura had never baked, but clearly she didn't need them, given as to how good these macaroons were.

Allura's eyes twinkle with a hidden mischief as she shrugs her shoulders in a play at innocence. "I guess you're a pretty good teacher, Shay."

Shay bites into one of the cookies and marvels at the taste. "Unbelievable." She shakes the macaroon at Allura. "You make really good cookies, Lu."

Allura laughs and leans against the chair. "I'm glad you're enjoying them. I put a lot of sugar in them to make them sweet." She pauses, a grin sliding across her face. "Though, none of them are as sweet as you."

Shay blushes and looks up at Allura, who's winking at her. What a charmer.

She smothers a smile and goes back to eating her macaroons.

Today will be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> terrible ending, i know.
> 
> reviews honestly make my heart ba-dump, and constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me about voltron and girls on tumblr at my main @pinkpaladln or my writing blog (where this will be posted!) @thebluepaladln!


	7. the space between our hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8: Space - Pidge and Luki are stargazing when Pidge comes to some realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day seven!
> 
> super short, hope you like it!
> 
> (p.s, the mods for wlw month are calling the character named luki in here shila, so those two are the same person, just so you don't get confused :)

Space is pretty big, Pidge realizes.

It's so big that she's a speck compared to all of this. She doesn't know if she should be awed or intimidated.

Luki nudges her shoulder. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Space." says Pidge. "You know, most people would probably think that I hate space."

Luki's eyebrows quirk up. "And why would that be?"

"Well," says Pidge, "Space took my family. Space isn't my home. Space is where I almost die almost everyday. Space makes me feel small, and I get enough of that from Lance."

That draws a laugh from Luki. "Gee, Pidge, is there anything you do like about space?" she teases.

"You know," says Pidge. "For all its faults, space allowed me to meet this really cute girl."

Luki hums in response. "Oh yeah? What's she like?"

Pidge props her chin on her knuckles. "She has this really cute pink hair. Loves adventures. Tiny but fighty."

Luki squeezes her shoulders and grins. "You're beginning to sound a lot like a cheesy romantic."

Pidge smiles. "Only for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews always make my day, and constructive criticism is appreciated as well :D
> 
> come talk to me about voltron on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	8. dreams like thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9: Past - Allura doesn't tell anyone, but she can never sleep at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry about the late updates, but school has gotten me so stressed out and troubled, lmao. nevertheless, i promised myself i would only skip one day a week for the prompts, and i intend on keeping that promise (even if it gets fulfilled really late, lmao)
> 
> just a heads up, the prompts will probably get shorter and more drabble-y because i really don't have the time to write anything longer, so sorry :/

Allura doesn't tell anyone, but she can never sleep at night.

She knows that once her eyes shut close, she'll be dreaming of Altea, of its rolling juniberry fields and meteor showers that lit up the night, and she can't bear the thought of leaving it all over again by waking up.

She tells herself she doesn't want to see Altea. But Allura knows it's not Altea she doesn't want to see, but rather Rhian.

Beautiful, smiling, lovely Rhian. With pink hair that curled so wildly and eyes that seemed to be made of the night itself, Allura thought she must have been the luckiest girl alive to have someone like her in her arms.

And then Altea fell. And Rhian was dead.

There's a humongous cavern in Allura's chest, one that aches whenever she thinks about her lost people, her lost father, and mostly, her lost Rhian.

Sometimes, if Allura isn't careful, she'll drift off to sleep. Rhian's laugh haunts her dreams, like tiny little bells going off.

When she wakes up alone and tears streaming down her face, the only thought that can console her is,  _That was all in the past._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waits for the rotten tomatos to be thrown in my face because this was extreeeemly bad*
> 
> reviews make me insanely happy, constructive criticism is appreciated as well :D
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog (where this will be posted!) @thebluepaladln!


	9. earthern customs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 10: Culture - Luki learns a little something about earth customs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUPER SUPER LATE, BUT SCHOOL IS KILLING ME AND IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A WEEK!!!
> 
> rest of the chapters that i missed will probably be posted throughout the day, so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> anyways, enjoy!

Pidge is going to be honest. This date with Luki is going much better than expected.

She had expected something bad to come up, even with Nyma's careful planning, or maybe a distress call that required her help as a paladin. But luckily, she and Luki had had a really fun night without any distractions, whatsoever. Things had been good.

Now, the two of them are walking to the pod that would take them back to ship. Pidge shivers a little, regretting her decision to wear short sleeves. The cool night air is raising goosebumps all over her arms. Luki glances at her, concern barely flashing in her eyes. "Are you cold?"

She nods. "Yeah, a little. But it's really no problem."

Luki looks inquisitive; then her face lights up like she's gotten an idea. She shrugs off her jacket and places it onto Pidge's shoulders. Pidge blinks in surprise as Luki grins. "Better?"

It's not really better, given the fact that the jacket is cut like a crop top and is made of a thin, leathery material. She doesn't tell Luki that though.

"That's so weird." is what Pidge says instead. "Giving jackets to a date is something people do on -"

"Earth." Luki responds, a smug look on her face. "I brushed up on a little Earthern culture before I came."

Pidge lilts her head in questioning. "From where?"

"Lance!" Luki exclaims brightly. "He gave me a lot of tips, he also said something about giving people fake bloody ear on Earth ? But that seemed kinda weird, so I just left it. Hope you don't mind?"

She stifles a giggle. "Yeah, I don't mind very much." She snuggles the jacket a little deeper. "Thanks for the jacket."

"Thank you for a wonderful night." responds Luki smoothly. And, well. Pidge is glad that darkness of the night can cover up the reddening of her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews always make my day, and constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog, @thebluepaladln!


	10. blooming feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 11: Nature - Nyma has never been a fan of the gardening lifestyle, but the cute girl next door certainly has a way of changing her mindset on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> onto day eleven!
> 
> btw, the rest of the chapters that i missed from last and this week will be posted throughout the day, so keep an eye out for that.

Nyma has never been really a fan of the gardening lifestyle. But when the cute girl next door pleads for her to join her outback with huge eyes, well, she couldn't say no, could she?

So that's how she ends up kneeling in the dirt, grass stains covering her new white t-shirt and currently spitting out a clod of dirt from when Allura had thrown it at her. But the huge smile that's gracing Allura's lips kind of makes it worth it.

Allura laughs as Nyma struggles with planting a juniberry flower, one that Allura calls the most 'exquisite'. Her hands pass over Nyma's, and for a second she forgets to breath.

"Here, like this." says Allura, guiding Nyma's hand as if it were her own. Nyma is acutely aware of how Allura's face is right behind her and the fact that her hands are covering Nyma's own and wow.

She is in deep.

Allura leans away after she successfully guides Nyma into planting the flower. "There!" she cheers, eyes crinkling at the corners. "One juniberry flower planted."

"Only how more left to go?" asks Nyma. Her inexperienced gardening hands wishes for zero more. The unrequited crush is asking for a thousand more. Just so she can be near Allura.

Allura looks around them and laughs. "Well, we have quite a bit left. You can leave anytime you want to." She glances hesitantly at Nyma. "I hope you'll stick around, though?"

Nyma glances at Allura sitting in front of her in the midst of blooming purples and pink and blue, looking like some sort of princess from a Disney movie.

She has never been one for nature. But you always have to start somewhere, she supposes.

"Yeah," says Nyma, heart soaring at the sight of Allura's bright smile. "I'll stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments make really happy, and constructive criticism is appreciated as well.
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	11. red coral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 12: Gift - Plaxum has a gift for Shay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day twelve!
> 
> slowly making my way through publishing the prompts. anyways, hope you enjoy!

Shay feels happy today.

And with her feet in the water, laughing next to a beautiful mermaid, how could she not be feeling joyous?

"Oh!" says Plaxum suddenly, jolting up from where she had sitten next to Shay on the boat. "I need to go get something!"

Before Shay could ask what, Plaxum dives into the ocean, spraying her with seawater. She splutters, but grins to herself nevertheless.

Plaxum pops up a few minutes later.

"I've got it!" she says, heaving herself onto the ship again. "Close your eyes."

Shay looks at her questioningly, but complies. She feels Plaxum's webbed fingers brush against her neck in the slightest motion before it's gone. Something heavy is resting against her collarbone.

"Okay," says Plaxum, and Shay can detect a hint of pride in her tone. "Open them."

Her eyes flutter open and the first thing she spots is the beautiful red coral piece strung on a piece of string that Plaxum had tied around her neck.

"So, what do you think?" asks Plaxum.

Shay fingers it and beams. "It's beautiful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are my lifeforce, and constructive criticism is hugely appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	12. lazy day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 14: Lazy Day - Nyma really doesn't want to get up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day fourteen!

"Nyma." murmurs someone. "Nymaaa."

Nyma shifts in her sleepy haze, batting away the finger that's poking her shoulder. "I'm sleeping."

"It's time to get up."

She rolls over so she can face Allura. Her poofy white hair is up in a messy bun and Nyma thinks she looks really pretty.

"We don't have to do anything today, Lu."

Allura gives her a tired smile. "There is always something to do, Nyma."

"C'mon," says Nyma, a little whine in her voice. "Let's stay on today. One day without any responsibilities."

Allura gives her a look. When it doesn't seem like she'll relent, Nyma pulls out her puppy eyes.

"Please?"

Allura looks at her more before sighing and shaking her head, smiling all the while. "Alright, fine."

She settles back into bed, eyes drooping closed. Nyma sleepily smiles.

Today will be a lazy day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are my lifeforce, and constructive criticism is hugely appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	13. the city goes silent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 - Angst: Heroes always got their happy ending. So why hadn't Plaxum gotten hers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really horrible and terrible, but you'll have to forgive me since school is really draining my creative juices.

When the battle is over, the hero always gets the happy ending.

At least, that's what always happened in the stories Plaxum's mother used to read to her as a child. And you could hardly call three rebel mermaids and a couple of air breathers plus some lions going against the queen and all her forces a battle.

But still. They had won. Plaxum deserved her happy ending fair and square.

This didn't feel like a happy ending. Not when Florona was dead.

She had found out from the queen herself.  _Eaten by the Baku_ , Luxia had said.  _I'm so sorry, Plaxum._

That didn't stop the ringing in her ears, the way everything seemed to stop. Florona was dead.  _Dead._

Nobody knew how hard she had cried that night. She had waited three years to see her again, after she had left to go serve the Queen.

Plaxum had been convinced she was brainwashed. Her whole motivation had been to snap Florona out of the mind control that the Queen had put her and the other mermaids under.

Now, she would take brainwahsed over dead.

How would she ever be happy again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> constructive criticism would be really nice to get :D
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	14. when the ringing in our ears get violent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 - Comfort: Bad dreams haunt Allura's sleep, but at least she has Shay to hold her when it feels like the world around her is crumbling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sort of satisifed with this chapter, but the ending is really really bad, so forgive me for that. hope you enjoy!

The flames are coming closer with each second. Allura sobs as they engulf the marbled paths leading to the palace.

"Father!" she pleads. "We must form Voltron and fight, before it's too late!"

"It's already too late. We must send the lions away. We can't risk them falling into Zarkon's hands."

Her chest feels like it will cave in and her hands can't stop, wont stop shaking. They must be able to do  _something_. "We can't give up hope!"

"I'm sorry, daughter. If all goes well, I will see you again."

Alfor presses a hand to her cheek and a shock goes through her, like being doused in cold water, before the drowsiness starts to set in. She gasps and crumbles to ground. He catches her, and the pained expression on his face somehow twists her heart even more.

"I love you, Allura."

"Father." she gasps out and then she's falling falling falling falling

-o-O-o-

Allura sits up with a strangled gasp, breaking the nightmare. A tear slips out and she wipes it away stubbornly. That was all in the past. There was no need to get upset about it now.

Shay rustles from beside her. "Allura?"

Her voice is tinged with a sleepy hoarseness, and she feels terrible for waking her up.

"I'm sorry, Shay." she whispers. "It was nothing."

Shay turns to look at her, and a sort of understanding dawns on her face. "You had another nightmare."

Allura looks away and scrubs her eyes. "It was nothing. You can go back to sleep."

Shay sighs and sits up. "You don't have to lie to me, Allura."

Allura says nothing.

Shay turns the lights on, and she squints against the sudden brightness. Shay pats the space next to her, and Allura scoots closer, nestling her head in the crook of Shay's neck.

"What was it this time?" asks Shay, voice quiet and soft.

She hesitates. "It was my father, the last time I-I saw him."

Her eyes water up and Shay's hand comes up to stroke Allura's hair, fingers brushing her snowy tresses. "It's okay, Allura. Let it all out."

So she does. She cries silently in the dead of night, Shay holding her and making comforting noises.

She's not perfectly fine by the time her eyes close shut from exhaustion, but she's comforted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments make really happy, and constructive criticism is appreciated as well.
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	15. never should have let them dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 - Music: Nyma asks Allura to dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day seventeen!
> 
> sort of proud with how this one turned out, given that i had written this under thirty minutes.
> 
> kind of deviates from the prompt a little, but music is still included, so idk?
> 
> also, this is sort of a human-ish au, in case you were wondering why i was describing nyma's hair when she doesn't really have any hair in the show. (what are those things called anyway? banana stuff?)
> 
> title is taken from 'learn to do it' from the film 'anastasia'!
> 
> anyways, hope you like this!

The twinkling lights and twirling figures on the ballroom floor is a sight that Allura wants to keep close to her heart forever.

She watches the ballroom before her from her spot on the high floor, bringing her arms to lean slightly against the small balcony. The wall behind her is clear and glassy and displays a sight of the stars and constellations that don't seem to end.

The orchestra finishes the current piece and the swirling skirts and people come to an abrupt stop, hands coming together to politely clap.

Someone taps her shoulder, and she startles before realizing who it is.

"Nyma." Allura breathes. "What are you doing here?"

Nyma gives her a dimpled smile just as the music picks up again, slow and sweet. "Just wondering what a beautiful girl like you is doing alone."

Allura gives a huff of laughter, and Nyma's smile seems to widen at that. She extends a gloved hand. "Wanna dance?"

Allura considers it for a second and shakes her head slightly. "I'd love to."

She takes her hand, trying to ignore how clammy her own are right now. Nyma takes the lead, easily guiding Allura through the different steps.

"You know, you would think a princess would know how to dance." comments Nyma after Allura steps on her foot for the third time.

"Well, we can't all be naturals, I suppose." says Allura, willing the scarlet on her cheeks to dim a little.

Nyma grins and twirls her, and Allura gasps at the sudden move. Her dress swirls all around her, and suddenly she's back in Nyma's arms, barely an inch from her.

Nyma doesn't seem to notice and hums in time to the tune, stepping here and turning there. Allura takes this time to observe her. Her hair is slowly unfurling from her fancy bun, framing her violet eyes. Her lips are pulled up into a smile and she looks happy and free. Allura's heart thumps painfully in her chest.

Nyma turns to her. "What are you looking at?"

The music comes to a stop and they slowly sway to a stop as applause breaks out.

Allura smothers a grin and turns her face towards the stars.

"Nothing." she says. "Just admiring the view."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are my one true love, and constructive criticism is appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	16. fess up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 18: Confession - Nyma has a confession to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day eighteen!
> 
> quite cheesy, but i love cheesy stuff. hope you do too!

"Nyma!"

Nyma quickly lifts her head up as Allura storms into the room and wipes her mouth in what she hopes is a discreet fashion.

There's a finger pointed at her. "Did. You. Eat. My. Cookies."

The perfectly calm voice Allura's using is honestly scaring Nyma. "Maybe?"

Allura's forehead creases a little. "Maybe?"

Nyma sighs. "Yes. I did eat your cookies." she confesses.

Allura gives an exasperated sigh. "Nyma!"

She raises her hands in guilt. "In my defense, I can't help it that my girlfriend makes the most delicious cookies ever made!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." says Allura, but her eyebrows seem to be quirking up in amusement.

"Oh, but I'm not using flattery!" exclaims Nyma. "My girlfriend makes the most scrumptious, heavenly, godsent, baked goods that you can imagine. They're so fluffy and good and del-"

"Alright, alright." Allura stops her, laughing a little. "That's quite enough."

Nyna grins at her. "Am I forgiven?"

"Yes. But," says Allura, a warning tone in her voice, "if you ever touch my cookies again, I won't kiss you for a day."

She shudders in horror. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are my lifeforce, and constructive criticism is hugely appreciated as well!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing side blog @thebluepaladln!


	17. coffee and cute girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 - Human AU: Nyma is a complete and absolute dork when it comes to cute girls. Especially when they're amazing baristas that know exactly what type of drink she likes and goes by the name Shay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you: you said you were gonna finish the wlw month prompts
> 
> me: so i did! hahaha!
> 
> you: it's been two weeks since wlw month ended.
> 
> me, sweating: look, school's really been kicking my ass, i've had some really bad writer's block, and who am i even talking to, barely anybody reads this.
> 
> to anyone who is reading this: thank you, i really appreciate it :D
> 
> (some side notes: shay here is desi, specifically indian, and her full name is shreya aggarwal. nyma here is arab and her full name is nyma malik. just some of my personal hcs that i wanted to insert in the story :D)

Nyma swears her world stops when she see the cute barista that gives her the espresso she ordered.

"Uh, thank you," says Nyma, scanning the barista's name tag, "...Shreya."

The barista - Shreya - laughs and Nyma thinks she might just swoon. "You can just call me Shay. Enjoy your drink!"

Nyma gives a little wave and walks back to where Allura is sitting in a daze.

"You seem very happy." teases Allura.

Nyma takes a tiny sip from her cup, careful not to scald her tongue.

"I just saw an angel." she says dreamily, setting the cup down and leaning back in her chair.

Allura glances up from the article she's been reading, lips pulled up into an amused smirk. "An angel, huh?"

"Yeah," continues Nyma. She sighs. "Well, I probably should get over it. It's not like I'll ever see her again.

-o-O-o-

Nyma does see me again. In fact, she quite literally bumps into her.

"Oom - I'm so sorr -" Shay starts, picking up Nyma's stuff from where it's fallen on the ground to hand back to her. When she turns her head up, her face lights up in recognition and Nyma is kind of overwhelmed by how cute this girl is.

"Hey, aren't you the girl from the coffee shop?" asks Shay. "Peppermint caramel, right?"

Nyma nods, trying to ignore how her stomach is twisting on in itself. "Yeah, you remembered!"

Shay laughs, and butterflies erupt in the pit of her throat. "Yeah, will it isn't a very common drink. Isn't it wierd that we ran into each other again?"

"It's like the unjverse wants us together or something." Nyma blurts out. She realizes what she's said and almost drops to the floor in humiliation, because what kind of person would actually say that out loud to the girl she likes?

Shay looks at her kind of funny, and Nyma's brain is just a chorus of the phase 'deathdeathdeath'. "Not how I would have worded it, but sure!"

She glances at her watch and curses. "Oh shoot, I'm so sorry, but I'm late and I have to run."

Nyma shakes her head in understanding. "Of course."

She gives her a warm smile. "It was nice meeting you again, ... "

"Nyma." she supplies. "Nyma Malik."

"Pretty name!"

Nyma kind of dies internally, in the good way.

Shay starts to walk away, but she stops six feet ahead and turns slightly. "You should come back to the coffee house sometime, Nyma!" she calls out.

She turns away before Nyma can reply. Once she's out of ear range, Nyma thinks it's an appropriate reaction to fist pump the air.

-o-O-o-

Nyma nervously fidgets with the ends of her scarf. Currently, she's standing in the line at the coffeehouse where Shay works at, praying that maybe today will be the day she will not be a huge dork around girls who are cute and amazing and wonderful.

Then, she glances ahead and spots Shay, smile as bright as the sun itself as she hands a customer their drink, and well. Nobody can blame her if all thoughts of being cool fly out her head.

The line inches forward and Nyma finds herself face to face with Shay herself. Shay looks up from the register and visibly brightens, giving here a cheery wave.

"Hello, Nyma!" she greets. "I was hoping you would stop by!"

Nyma does not squeal internally. She does not.

She manages a wave of her own. "Hey, Shay."

Shay leans against the counter. "What can I get for you today?"

Nyma starts, but then Shay cuts her off with a laugh. "Wait, I remember, peppermint caramel, right?"

She nods slightly, grinning back at Shay when she smiles at her.

Shay shouts the order to the other worker and turna back to Nyma. "How have you been doing, Nyma?"

"Good." Nyma admits. "You?"

Shay gives her a sort of wry smile, and her heart flutters. "I could do with less work, but one plus is that I got to see you today!"

Nyma tries to dim the scarlet blooming on her cheeks. She really does. But boy, is she  _smitten_.

Instead, she tries clearing her throat. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Of course!" Shay encourages. "What is it?"

Nyma scratches the back of her neck in nervous anticipation.  _This is it._ she reminds herself.  _No screwing up now._

"I-I was wondering . . . if maybe you'd-you'd like to get some coffee with me some-sometime?"

_Nice stuttering, you absolute fool._

Shay stares at her for a couple of seconds. Nyma's beginning to wonder if she can crawl under that table in the corner and stay there for the rest of her life.

Then the bizarrest thing happens: Shay breaks out into a grin.

"Nyma, I'd absolutely love to go and get coffee with you sometime."

Nyma feels her heart soar, and maybe,  _just maybe_ , she wasn't as big as a dork as she could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (is there even such a thing as peppermint caramel coffee? i just picked something that sounded starbucks-y :/)
> 
> not my best work, but i'm trying to get all these prompts completed by at least october ahhhh
> 
> come talk to me about cute girls and voltron at tumblr on my main @pinkpaladln or my writing sideblog (where this will be posted!) @thebluepaladln! (p.s., i've been thinking of changing my writing side blog url, i might put up a poll later and would appreciate it if you checked it out!)


	18. all because of the popcorn lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Movie Theater AU: The popcorn lady is really cute, and Allura has no idea how to deal with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kay so i know i said i would finish this story up but in reality i only have like 2 more chaps of this that i actually finished. i'm trying to wrap up a bunch of my vld wips (for reasons you can read abt on my profile), so i thought i'd just post these chapters, even if they are not in order and pretty terrible i think.
> 
> i actually really liked this one and thought it wasn't too bad, but you guys are the judges of that. let me know if you catch any mistakes!

Allura was going to die.

Not literally, of course. That would have been troubling. But she was going to die. And it was all the popcorn lady's fault.

"Yo, Lulu." Lance whispered as she settled into a plush red chair. "Did you get me my popcorn?"

Allura handed him the striped paper bag and Lance quietly cheered. "Thanks Lura, you're the best."

"I know." she said. "What did I miss?"

"Okay, so the main char- waitaminute are you blushing."

_Dammit_. "Of course not."

Lance squinted and leaned forward a little before gasping. "You are!"

An old lady behind them shushed them, and Lance sent her a glance before turning back to Allura.

"What happened?" he questioned.

Allura scratched the back of the neck. "Well, I was getting popcorn and...the girl was really pretty. Like, insanely pretty."

A grin spread across Lance's face. "Aww, does Allura have a little crush on the popcorn lady?"

She felt her face grew up warmer. "That's not it!"

"Your face tells a different story." he teased.

"No." Allura sighed. "She flirted with me."

"The popcorn lady likes Allura back!" Lance crowed quietly. The old lady behind him shot him a scathing look, but he ignored it. "What did she say?"

Allura drooped in her seat. "She used a pick up line, asked if my father was a thief cause he must have stolen the stars and put them in my eyes."

Lance's eyebrow shot up. "You know if somebody had told me that, I would have been ecstatic. Why are you all droopy and emo right now?"

"I'm not emo." Allura muttered halfheartedly.

"Sure you aren't."

She sighed, pouting a little. "I just gaped at her, like an idiot. Then I took my popcorn and left. A pretty girl flirts with me, and I don't flirt back. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Oh no you don't, giving up that fast. I'll make sure you get the popcorn lady." Lance glanced at the older lady behind him, who was now giving him the death glare. "And I'll do it outside, before she starts taking her cane and whacking."

-o-O-o-

Allura stood in the food line, mentally going over the plan that Lance had given her.

Stand in line. Check. Get popcorn lady's name. Allura had glanced discreetly at the girl's name tag and found that her name was Nyma. Check. Use pickup line Lance had given her. Working up to that part.

The line inched forward, and Allura tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted the line to hurry up and move her to the front already, but at the same time, she hoped that it would be sluggish.

Finally, she reached the front. Nyma glanced up from the register and visibly brightened.

"Hey, starry eyes!" she exclaimed. "Back for more already?"

Allura laughed nervously and scratched the back of her neck. "Uh, no, not really."

One of Nyma's eyebrows quirked up. "Oh?"

Allura took in a small breath and psyched herself up. It was now or never.

"Are you a movie? Cause I'd-I'd love to check you out?" Allura stuttered out.

The girl - Nyma - stared at her.

Allura's mind went into panic mode pretty quick when Nyma still hadn't reacted. She had no idea what to do after this part, Lance didn't give her any further instructions. Desperately, she tried to think back to the last time she had seen Lance flirt with someone. What had he done? The answer came to her as clear as day.

She raised her hands in two finger guns and winked, clicking her tongue as she did so.

An instant wave of mortification washed over her. Allura could imagine Lance face palming from where he was spying on them from behind the trash can, and she couldn't really blame him.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Nyma blushed - blushed!

The pink that dusted her cheeks had faded away as quickly as it had sprung up. (Which was a shame, Allura thought. Pink suited Nyma quite well.)

Nyma grinned and leaned across the counter. Allura's mind may or may not have gone into overdrive when she saw her bite her lips. "You're cute."

She took a card from one of the stands nearby and quickly scribbled out something, handing it to Allura afterwards.

Nyma winked. "Call me sometime."

She stared at the card in her hand, and then at Nyma, slowly starting to smile. "I will." she promised.

Allura give a little wave as she stepped away from the counter, the giddiness swelling up in her chest like a balloon.

Lance popped up from his hiding place behind the trash can. "Well?" he demanded, face lit up with far too much enthusiasm for a relationship that he wasn't even a part of. "How'd it go?"

She held the card between two fingers and waved it, grinning as she watched Lance's eyes go wide in shock. "I'd say it went pretty well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are greatly appreciated, even if it's just a smiley face! let me know what you think and how i can improve!


	19. paint our hearts on the skyline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 26 - Superhero AU: Pidge had a problem, and it was the new superhero rookie named Unilu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a fun time with this one, and it definitely turned out to be a fav. let me know if you catach any mistakes!

Pidge had a problem, and it's name was Unilu.

Well, technically it's name wasn't Unilu. As far as Pidge knew, Unilu was just an alias to conceal the girl's identity when she was out superheroing. 

But. That didn't subtract from the fact that Unilu was currently the biggest pain in Pidge's neck right now.

She twisted in a screw for her blaster and quietly seethed about the events of the past hour.

-o-O-o-

"Attention, Prorok. You have ten seconds to surrender, or you're gonna get it."

Pidge, or Proxy as the public knew her, was currently in front of the Garrison City Bank, hands cupped in front of her mouth.  Prorok was inside, purple face from a result of an experiment gone wrong, sweating nervously.

"I'll never turn myself over!" he shouted from inside the bank, sack of money over his shoulder.

Pidge rolled her eyes. Though only fifteen, she had been at the superhero gig long enough to know that the bad guy not surrendering always led to bad things.

She heaved her blaster into her hands, mentally thanking Lance for all the aiming lessons he'd been giving her. "Five more seconds, Prorok." warned Pidge. "Trust me, you do not want to be at the wrong end of this baby."

Prorok licked his lips and looked about ready to dart out of the bank exit. Pidge steadied her grip on her blaster.

"Four, three, two, o-" Pidge chanted out loud, before Prorok interrupted her midway. 

"Alright, fine, I surrender!" he called out, dropping his sack onto the floor and raising his hands.

Pidge grinned. "Atta boy. Now step out of the bank slowly."

Prorok did as he was told and Pidge walked over, blaster still aimed at him. She brought his hands behind his back and fired a quick shot at his wrists, causing branches to sprout and entangle around each other, becoming impromptu, yet sturdy, cuffs. 

She thanked him for being such an easy win in her mind. Pidge could already imagine the newspaper headlines - 'GREEN MASKED HERO CAPTURES LOCAL BANK THIEF - PROXY WINS AGAIN' - and was about to call it a day.

That's when Unilu showed up.

The newspapers called her the flying wonder, and she was something to behold. With side shaved pink hair and an orange costume with a mask, Unilu certainly stood out. Compared to Pidge's simple green mask and body armor, Unilu definitely seemed like the better, flashier hero.

Anyone who said that definitely didn't see her mess up Pidge's big save.

“Watch out, watch out, watch out!!!” Unilu screamed.

Pidge only had a second to wonder what was going on when a sudden pink and orange blur hit her, slamming her to the ground. She yelped, but Unilu paid no attention to her, instead getting up and brushing her outfit. 

“Phew. That was close. Nobody got hurt this time.”

Pidge groaned. “Nope, I got very hurt, thanks by the way.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Unilu. She held out a hand and pulled Pidge up. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

“Yeah, noted.” said Pidge. “This has been what, your fourth accident this month?”

Unilu rubbed the back of neck sheepishly. “I guess? Don’t worry, I’m getting better. Practice makes perfect!”

Pidge grumbled and turned to get back to securing Prorok. Except . . . he wasn’t there.

She saw a flash of purple disappearing into an alley in the corner of her left eye and ran to the alley, only to find no trace of Prorok.

Pidge let out a frustrated scream.

“Is everything okay?” Unilu called out.

Pidge stormed back to where Unilu was standing, jabbing a finger to her chest. “You let Prorok get away!”

“Who?”

She threw her arms to the sky. “The guy I captured! I was gonna turn him in, but now he’s escaped, thanks to you!”

“I’m really sorry.” said Unilu. “I can help you look for him, if you want.”

Pidge turned her back on Unilu and picked up her blaster from where it had fallen when Unilu crashed into her. She gritted her teeth when she found one of the parts coming loose. “No thank you. I don’t want you screwing up again.”

Pidge left before she could see the hurt look on her face.

-o-O-o-

"Knock knock!” came a voice from outside.

“The door's open!” called out Pidge.

Allura stepped inside. “Hi, Pidge.”

“Hey, Allura.” she greeted.

Allura coming over to Pidge's little hideout was a frequent thing. She usually came after her own superhero battles to patch up, but as Pidge glanced at her, she could detect no apparent injuries.

“So,” started Allura. “Tough day?”

“You have no idea.” Pidge grumbled. “You know that new rookie superhero, Unilu? She made me loose Prorok. I just had him!”

Allura rested her arms on her worktable. “Oh, I've heard of Unilu. The flying superhero?”

“Yeah,” continued Pidge. “Though she really needs to work on the flying part.”

Allura stayed silent for a while and watched Pidge work on fixing her blaster.

“You know, it wasn't too long ago that you were a rookie yourself.” said Allura.

Pidge stopped her work. “What are you trying to say?”

“I seem to recall a few moments when you messed up.” continued Allura. “Remember that incident with Lance and Haxus, where you were almost caught and he had to free you?”

Pidge grimaced, remembering that incident. “Yeah, I guess I did make a couple of mistakes.”

“What I'm trying to say is that maybe you're being too tough on Unilu.” Allura reasoned. “She's new, you should cut her some slack.”

Pidge sighed. “When did you get so wise, Allura?”

She winked at her. “I've always been wise, kiddo. You just never listen.”

Pidge giggled a little before frowning. “I should probably apologize.”

“You should.” Allura agreed and handed her a paper. “Good thing I know where you can find her.”

She stared at the slip of paper. “How do you know where Unilu's location is?”

The older girl grinned. “Let's say I have my resources.”

“I hope you know how creepy that sounded.” 

“Oh trust me, Pidge, if I don't keep tabs on everybody, then some other evil villains would have. And you should go already, maybe get a cup of coffee with her afterwards.”

“Get a cup of coffee- Allura, are you trying to play matchmaker here?”

Allura winked at her before getting up and heading towards the door. “She likes video games, if you two need something to talk about after. Make sure to apologize good, Pidgey.”

“How do you even know all of this?” Pidge yelled after her, but she was already gone.

She shook her head then looked at the piece of paper Allura had given her. “Okay, Unilu, here I come.” 

-o-O-o-

"Unilu? Is anybody here?”

Pidge walked into the warehouse, shivering a little from the creepiness of this place. Why anybody would choose this as their hideout was beyond her.

“Unilu?” she called out again.

A face appeared before her, hanging upside down. Pidge shrieked.

“What are you doing here, Proxy?” asked Unilu, righting herself and floating down to the floor.

Pidge hesitantly held out a cup of coffee. “To apologize.”

-o-O-o-

Unilu took her to the roof of the warehouse. 

Pidge gasped as she saw the view from up there. The setting sun was bathing the skyline in hues of bubblegum and blue and cherry.

“Wow.” Pidge sighed a little. “It's beautiful.

“Yeah, it's pretty great up here.” said Unilu, sipping from the cup that Pidge had given her.

She went to the ledge and sat on it, motioning for Pidge to join her. She did, casually kicking her legs against the side of the warehouse.

“So,” said Unilu, eyeing her warily. “You've come here to apologize?”

“Yeah.” admitted Pidge. “I was kind of a jerk earlier today. You're trying your hardest and I should have respected that instead of dismissing you so easily.”

Unilu grinned at her. “Wow, thanks, Proxy. Takes a big man to admit they were wrong.”

Pidge smiled back to her. “And if you can still help me with the search for Prorok, if you're still up for it, of course.”

Pidge didn't think it was possible, but Unilu's grin grew even wider. “I'd love to! Proxy, this is gonna be amazing. Though, I still have to work on my flying.”

Pidge adjusted her mask. “I could help you with that if you wanted.”

She stared at her, and Pidge wondered if she had said something wrong. She started to open her mouth to take back what she said, but Unilu beat her to it.

"You want to help me?" she said disbelievingly. 

Pidge fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well yeah." she said. "I should've done that from the start instead of failing to recognize how you're only a beginner, and we all screwed up at the start. But we learned with help from others. But I don't have to if you-"

"Proxy, no!" Unilu exclaimed. She was smiling really big now, and Pidge thought it was kind of cute. "I'd love your help. Really."

Pidge gave a sheepish grin at Unilu, and the other girl continued to beam.  A silence stretched between the two of them. 

Pidge remembered what Allura had told her earlier. “So, do you like video games?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are greatly appreciated, even if it's just a smiley face! let me know what you think and how i can improve!


End file.
